Chatting in a Zoom meeting

The in-meeting Zoom chat feature allows you to send instant messages to all meeting participants, a private message to an individual participant, or a sub-group chat to multiple participants. Users can create a new chat by clicking the chat icon and selecting the participant name or multiple participant names. After a new chat is created, the chat thread will appear separate from the main chat , and is easily distinguishable as a private message thread. 

You can delete your messages, reply in threads, format your text, capture and send screenshots, react to messages with emojis, and more (if enabled). Meeting hosts can choose who participants can chat with or disable chat entirely. 

Note: If you see a prompt that your message has triggered a Chat Etiquette policy, you are either warned or blocked from sending the message based on what your account admin has configured. The Chat Etiquette Tool does not send additional message information, like data, metadata and event information, to the account admin, to Zoom, or to any 3rd party services, whether the message triggers Chat Etiquette policies or not.

Requirements for messaging with others during Zoom meetings

Table of Contents

How to chat in a Zoom meeting

Send a chat message

Depending on what the host has enabled for the meeting, you can send a message to everyone in the meeting, send a private message to an individual participant, or create a private group chat (on supported platforms).

Note: Hosts can't see private chats between participants or group chats that they are not a part of. Additionally, if the host saves the chat, private messages between participants do not appear on the chat transcript.

Windows | macOS | Linux

The following image shows an example of the in-meeting chat experience for users on the Zoom Workplace desktop app.

Chat with everyone

  1. While in a Zoom meeting, in the meeting controls toolbar, click the Chat icon .
    By default at the start of the meeting, you will only see the main meeting chat. If you have any private chats present, click the Main chat icon to return to the main meeting chat.
  2. At the bottom of the chat panel, enter your message in the text compose box.
  3. (Optional) Below the text compose box, customize your message by clicking any of the following options.
    Note: Some options may be disabled by your admin.
    • Format icon : Format the text by adding bold, italics, underline, text color, and more.
    • Emoji icon : Click an emoji to add it to your message.
    • GIF icon : Send a GIF as part of your message.
    • File icon : Send files in chat, as well as send a file from a third-party file sharing service.
    • Screenshot icon : Take a screenshot and send it as a message by clicking and dragging to capture a portion of the screen.
  4. Press Enter or click the send icon to send your message.

Chat with an individual participant in a private chat

  1. While in a Zoom meeting, in the meeting controls toolbar, click the Chat icon .
  2. In the top-left corner of the chat panel, click the new chat icon .
  3. Search for the name of the participant you want to privately chat with.
  4. At the bottom of the chat panel, enter your message in the text compose box.
  5. (Optional) Below the text compose box, choose from the available icons to customize your message with formatting, emojis, GIFs, files, or screenshots.
    Note: Some options may be disabled by your admin.
  6. Press Enter or click the send icon  to send your message.
    The private chat message will have a separate chat, apart from the main meeting chat. When you receive a reply, a red icon will appear next to the chat, indicating the amount of unread messages.
  7. (Optional) To return to the main meeting chat window to chat with all meeting participants, click the Main chat icon .

Chat with multiple participants in a group chat

Sub-group chats allow participants to have side conversations, such as presenters coordinating program flow, without involving the entire meeting. Any participant can create a sub-group chat within the meeting chat and manage members by adding or removing participants as needed. Participants must be on Zoom Workplace app version 6.2.10 or higher to create and be added to in-meeting sub-group chats.

  1. While in a Zoom meeting, in the meeting controls toolbar, click the Chat icon .
  2. In the top-left corner of the chat panel, click the new chat icon .
  3. Search for and click the name of each participant you want to add to a private group chat.
    Note: Participants must have Zoom Workplace app 6.2.10 or higher to be added to a group chat. You can’t add any participants on older versions of the app.
  4. At the bottom of the chat panel, enter your message in the text compose box.
  5. (Optional) Below the text compose box, choose from the available icons to customize your message with formatting, emojis, GIFs, files, or screenshots.
    Note: Some options may be disabled by your admin.
  6. Press Enter or click the send icon  to send your message.
    The private group chat will have a separate chat, apart from the main meeting chat. When you receive a reply, a red icon will appear next to the chat, indicating the amount of unread messages.
  7. (Optional) To return to the main meeting chat window to chat with all meeting participants, click the Main chat icon .
Android | iOS

Chat with everyone

  1. While in a Zoom meeting, in the meeting controls toolbar, tap the Chat icon .
  2. At the bottom of the chat window, enter your message in the Message everyone text compose box.
  3. (Optional) To format text, select the text you want to customize.
    A toolbar with formatting options will appear, with options to bold, italicize, underline, strikethrough, link, add a bulleted or numbered list, and decrease or increase indentation.
  4. (Optional) Tap the plus icon to choose a photo or file to send.
  5. (Optional) Tap the emoji icon  to add an emoji.
  6. Tap the send icon  to send your message.

Chat with an individual participant in a private chat

  1. While in a Zoom meeting, in the meeting controls toolbar, tap the Chat icon .
  2. In the Meeting chat window, tap the down arrow icon .
  3. Tap the New chat icon .
  4. Search for and tap the name of the participant you want to privately chat with.
  5. In the top-right corner, tap OK.
  6. At the bottom of the chat window, enter your message in the text compose box.
  7. (Optional) To format text, select the text you want to customize.
    A toolbar with formatting options will appear, with options to bold, italicize, underline, strikethrough, link, add a bulleted or numbered list, and decrease or increase indentation.
  8. (Optional) Tap the plus icon to choose a photo or file to send.
  9. (Optional) Tap the emoji icon  to add an emoji.
  10. Tap the send icon  to send your message.
    The private chat message will have a separate chat, apart from the main meeting chat. When you receive a reply, a red icon will appear next to the chat, indicating the amount of unread messages.
  11. (Optional) To return to the main meeting chat window to chat with all meeting participants, tap the Main Chat icon .

Chat with multiple participants in a group chat

Sub-group chats allow participants to have side conversations, such as presenters coordinating program flow, without involving the entire meeting. Any participant can create a sub-group chat within the meeting chat and manage members by adding or removing participants as needed. Participants must be on Zoom Workplace app version 6.2.10 or higher to create and be added to in-meeting sub-group chats.

  1. While in a Zoom meeting, in the meeting controls toolbar, tap the Chat icon .
  2. In the Meeting chat window, tap the down arrow icon .
  3. Tap the New chat icon .
  4. Search for and tap the name of each participant you want to add to a private group chat.
    Note: Participants must have Zoom Workplace app 6.2.10 or higher to be added to a group chat. You can’t add any participants on older versions of the app.
  5. In the top-right corner, tap OK.
  6. At the bottom of the chat panel, enter your message in the text compose box.
  7. (Optional) To format text, select the text you want to customize.
    A toolbar with formatting options will appear, with options to bold, italicize, underline, strikethrough, link, add a bulleted or numbered list, and decrease or increase indentation.
  8. (Optional) Tap the plus icon to choose a photo or file to send.
  9. (Optional) Tap the emoji icon  to add an emoji.
  10. Tap the send icon  to send your message.
    The private chat message will have a separate chat, apart from the main meeting chat. When you receive a reply, a red icon will appear next to the chat, indicating the amount of unread messages.
  11. (Optional) To return to the main meeting chat window to chat with all meeting participants, tap the Main Chat icon .
Web app

Chat with everyone or send a private message

On the Zoom web app, you can send a message to everyone in the meeting or send a private message if enabled by the host.

  1. Join a meeting from the Zoom Web App.
  2. In the meeting controls toolbar, click the Chat icon .
  3. In the to: drop-down menu, select Everyone in Meeting.
  4. Enter your message in the chat window.
  5. (Optional) At the bottom of the chat window, customize your message by clicking any of the following options.
    Note: Some options may be disabled by your admin.
  6. Press Enter or click the send icon to send your message.
    If you sent a private message, a (Direct Message) notification will be indicated next to your message.

Reply or react to a message in the meeting chat

Windows | macOS | Linux

Reply to another message

Instead of sending a new message to everyone, you can also reply to messages already sent by yourself or another participant.

  1. In the meeting controls toolbar, click the Chat icon  .
  2. Below the message you want to reply to, click the reply icon .
    A text compose box will appear below and indented to the right slightly, indicating the message will be part of this thread.
  3. Enter your message in the chat window.
  4. Press Enter or click the send icon  to send your message.

Add an emoji reaction to a message

  1. In the meeting controls toolbar, click the Chat icon  .
  2. Below the message you want to react to, click the add reaction icon .
    A small box will appear, providing you with your recently used emojis for quick access.
  3. Select a recently used emoji or click the more icon  to view the full list of emojis.
    The selected emoji reaction will appear below the message. Additional emojis can be selected.
  4. (Optional) To remove the reaction, click the emoji that you added to the message.
Android | iOS

Reply to another message

Instead of sending a new message to everyone, you can also reply to messages already sent by yourself or another participant.

  1. While in a meeting, tap the Chat icon .
  2. Below the message you want to reply to, tap the reply icon .
    A text compose box will appear below and indented to the right slightly, indicating the message will be part of this thread.
  3. Enter your message in the chat window.
  4. (Optional) At the bottom of the chat window, customize your message with formatting, emojis, or files.
  5. Tap the send icon  to send your message.

Add an emoji reaction to a message

  1. While in a meeting, tap the Chat icon .
  2. Below the message you want to add a reaction to, tap the reaction icon .
    A small box will appear, displaying your recently used emojis for quick access.
  3. Tap an emoji, or tap the more icon to view a full list of emojis.
    The selected emoji will appear below the message. Additional emojis can be selected.
  4. (Optional) To remove the reaction, tap the emoji that you added to the message.
Web app

Reply to another message

Instead of sending a new message to everyone, you can also reply to messages already sent by yourself or another participant.

  1. In the meeting controls toolbar, click the Chat icon  .
  2. Hover your cursor over the message you want to reply to, then click the reply icon .
    A text compose box will appear below and indented to the right slightly, indicating the message will be part of this thread.
  3. Enter your message in the chat window.
  4. Press Enter or click the send icon  to send your message.

Add an emoji reaction to a message

  1. In the meeting controls toolbar, click the Chat icon  .
  2. Hover your cursor over the message you want to react to, then click the add reaction icon .
    A small box will appear, providing you with your recently used emojis for quick access.
  3. Select a recently used emoji or click the more icon  to view the full list of emojis.
    The selected emoji reaction will appear below the message. Additional emojis can be selected.
  4. (Optional) To remove the reaction, click the emoji that you added to the message.

Chat while screen sharing

Windows | macOS | Linux

While screen sharing in a meeting, click Chat in the meeting controls toolbar. A floating chat window will appear, which is not visible to other meeting participants.

If you receive new chat messages while screen sharing, a red icon will appear next to Chat  indicating the amount of unread messages. Click Chat  to open the chat window.

Web app

While screen sharing in a meeting, click Chat in the meeting controls toolbar. A floating chat window will appear, which is not visible to other meeting participants. If you receive new chat messages while screen sharing, a red icon will appear next to Chat  indicating the amount of unread messages. Click Chat  to open the chat window.

Add formatting to your chat messages

Windows | macOS | Linux

In the chat window, click the format icon  to access the following text options:

Android | iOS
  1. At the bottom of the chat window, enter your message in the text compose box.
  2. (Optional) To format text, select the text you want to customize.
    A toolbar with formatting options will appear, with options to bold, italicize, underline, strikethrough, link, add a bulleted or numbered list, and decrease or increase indentation.
Web app

In the chat window, click the format icon  to access the following text options:

How to manage chat settings as the host

If you're the meeting host, you can change the in-meeting chat settings to save the chat transcript and choose who participants can chat with.

Windows | macOS | Linux
  1. Join a Zoom meeting as the host.
  2. In the meeting controls toolbar, click the Chat icon .
  3. In the chat panel, click the more icon .
  4. You can access the following options:
    • Save chat: Save all chat messages in a TXT file. Saved to the same location as computer recording files.
    • Participant can chat with: Control who participants can chat with.
      • No one: Disables in-meeting chat.
      • Host and co-hosts: Only the host and co-host can send messages to everyone. Participants can still send private messages to the host.
      • Everyone: Participants can only send public messages. Public messages are visible to all participants. Participants can still send private messages to the host.
      • Everyone and anyone directly: Participants can send public or private messages. Public messages are visible to all participants. Private messages are sent to a specific participant or group of participants and are not visible to the host.
Android | iOS
  1. In the meeting controls toolbar, tap More , then tap Host tools .
  2. Under Allow all participants to:, tap Chat with.
  3. Choose from the following options:
    • No one: Disables in-meeting chat.
    • Host and co-hosts: Only the host and co-host can send messages to everyone. Participants can still send private messages to the host.
    • Everyone: Participants can only send public messages. Public messages are visible to all participants. Participants can still send private messages to the host.
    • Everyone and anyone directly: Participants can send public or private messages. Public messages are visible to all participants. Private messages are sent to a specific participant or group of participants, and are not visible to the host.
Web app
  1. As the host, join a Zoom meeting from the Zoom Web App.
  2. In the meeting controls toolbar, click the Chat icon .
  3. Below the chat window, click the ellipses icon .
  4. For the Participants Can Chat with setting, choose from the following options:
    • No one: Disables in-meeting chat.
    • Host and co-hosts: Only the host and co-hosts can send messages to everyone. Participants can still send private messages to the host.
    • Everyone: Participants can only send public messages. Public messages are visible to all participants. Participants can still send private messages to the host.
    • Everyone and anyone directly: Participants can send public or private messages. Public messages are visible to all participants. Private messages are sent to a specific participant, and are not visible to the host.